The Five Scarves - Dragonkin Ultimatum Part 4
by RaceProUK
Summary: Chika Ueno has switched sides! Could this be the key to ultimate victory? Or is it just delaying the inevitable?
1. Chapter 1

With trepidation, Rob, Maria, and Danny exit the far end of the grand ballroom; Xander and Chika follow behind, holding hands. Danny has relinquished his katana to Maria, who now has both. In turn, Maria has given her nunchaku to Chika, who's given her sansetsukon to Danny; she has done this partly because Danny is more comfortable with staff weapons than blades, and partly to earn some trust from the Scarves, an act reinforced by her permitting Danny to remove the chukon and fix the jokon and kikon directly to each other, turning the sansetsukon into a makeshift hanbo.

After cautiously advancing the length of the short corridor, they come across the door to the main dining hall; they push the doors open to find the room is completely normal in every way.

"I'm scared," Maria states, her voice hushed.

"Chika. Explain," Rob demands.

"I don't understand," Chika nervously replies. "Hideyoshi was definitely set up in here; I remember seeing the-"

Suddenly, the room is surrounded by a thick wall of scarlet-and-amber fire.

"I see the _kawauso_ has switched sides." The soft yet threatening voice of Kasai-dojo Grand Master Hideyoshi Takenaka fills the room. "And that she has succumbed to compassion."

"Coming from a _dai-sensei_ that has always prided himself on showing kindness and compassion, even to one's enemies, I find such criticism wholly unwarranted," Chika replies.

"On the contrary," Hideyoshi retorts. "Kindness and compassion should only be bestowed upon the enemy _after_ they are defeated, never before."

"Your words, or Aquila's?" Chika challenges.

"I expect this sort of _kuso_ from the others," Hideyoshi calmly replies. "It is uncharacteristic of yourself."

"If you believe I speak _kuso_ , then you are truly corrupted," Chika declares, her tone one of disappointment.

"Enough talk!" Rob bellows. "I don't give a _cào_ about your _kuso_! We are here to bring Aquila to justice, and to take Hanna home! Either fight us, or get out of our way!"

The form of a blazing phoenix swoops down from the shadows of the ceiling; it flies low over the heads of Chika and the Scarves, forcing them to duck; it lands on the dais at the head of the dining hall.

"You wish to fight me," Hideyoshi greets. "Therefore I appear."

"You and your big mouth," Maria hisses at Rob.

"I… don't know what came over me," Rob whispers back.

"So," Hideyoshi continues. "Who wants to die first?"

No-one volunteers.

"Oh, did I not mention?" Hideyoshi continues. " _I_ was the one who kidnapped Hanna."


	2. Chapter 2

" _You heartless bastard!_ " Rob and Maria yell in unison.

"Do not judge me so harshly," Hideyoshi replies, remaining calm. "I made sure she was captured quickly and painlessly; thanks to me, she was asleep the whole time."

"And remember, he's been corrupted by Aquila, as I was," Chika interjects.

"That won't stop me getting payback," Rob replies gruffly; he turns back to Hideyoshi. "If you have even the smallest shred of honour left in you, you will face me one-on-one. And you won't use your stolen fire powers."

"If that is what you wish, then it shall be," Hideyoshi agrees, stepping down from the dais. As he does so, the flames surrounding his body vanish; simultaneously, a wall of fire separates Rob from the others.

"Rob, no!" Maria cries out as the flames push her back. "Let us fight with you!"

"Sometimes you have to do things alone," Rob replies bluntly.

"As the old saying goes, 'Fortune favours the brave'," Hideyoshi adds. "Then again, there's another that states 'Bravery without intelligence is not bravery'. Which one applies more, I wonder?" he asks Rob.

"Neither," Rob answers deadpan. "He who fights for love needs not of bravery."

"Then it's the latter," Hideyoshi concludes, unsheathing the blade of his naginata.

"I look forward to making you eat those words," Rob replies defiantly, drawing his sai.

Hideyoshi charges, thrusting his naginata blade-first at Rob's abdomen; Rob deftly blocks the attack, deflecting the blade wide; taking advantage of the bat's momentum, Rob makes a thrust of his own; Hideyoshi raises the shaft of his weapon to deflect the attack. The two combatants pass each other and spin to face off once more; this time, Rob charges first. Dodging under a cutting sweep of the naginata, Rob slides under Hideyoshi; the bat leaps just out of range of the sai that would otherwise have gashed his legs. Rob stands just in time to catch the downward sweeping blade in his sai; bracing against Hideyoshi's strength, he pushes the blade up; pushing the advantage, he charges Hideyoshi, sai raised to stab; Hideyoshi is wise to the move, swinging the naginata round so the shaft swings up between Rob's legs; the hare blocks the swing again, but his charge is halted; Hideyoshi swings the naginata back again, aiming the blade for the centre of Rob's head; Rob sidesteps the swing; he then pins the blade to the ground, his sai sliding along the shaft until they hit the tsuba.

"You have real skill," Hideyoshi compliments, the battle paused in a temporary stalemate.

"You're not so bad yourself," Rob replies.

Without warning, Hideyoshi drops the naginata and charges; Rob, tipped off-balance, falls and rolls towards the charging bat; Hideyoshi leaps the roll, raking the claws on the tops of his wings across the hare; Rob in turn swipes the length of the bat's torso with the tips of his sai.

The two fighters stand and face each other again; Hideyoshi is bleeding freely from two long gashes down his torso, Rob from deep gashes in his left arm and abdomen. The hare quickly kicks the naginata out of reach; however, his injuries cause him to drop the sai in his left hand.

"Had enough?" Rob growls, stifling a wince as the torn flesh of his left arm refuses to co-operate.

"I'm just getting started," Hideyoshi replies through gritted teeth.

Hideyoshi charges once more; Rob braces for the impact, sai raised to impale the bat; Hideyoshi slides low at the last second, sweeping Rob's legs from under him; Rob lands heavily on his left flank, crying out in pain as his wounds twist and tear open a little more. Slowed by his injuries, Rob is unable to intercept Hideyoshi's next charge; the bat pins Rob to the floor.

"As I said, the latter," Hideyoshi smiles triumphantly as he taps into the fake Fire Crystal to heal his wounds.


	3. Chapter 3

Hideyoshi prises the sai from Rob's good hand; he then drags the defeated hare over to a heavy dining table. With a hefty shove of his foot, the table tips onto its side; Hideyoshi then pins Rob's good hand to the table, driving the monouchi so deep the yoku also penetrate the wood; Rob cries out in pain as his hand is impaled.

" _You monster!_ " Maria screeches, leaping through the firewall, Tsubaki's katana raised in front of her; Hideyoshi spins and unleashes a searing spear of flame directly at the lynx; the katana are liquefied instantly; miraculously, Maria twists enough at the last second to avoid the worst of the molten metal. However, she can't avoid it all; her right arm is sprayed; Maria collapses to the floor, screaming in agony as the molten metal burns deep into the flesh of her arm. Hideyoshi takes up the second sai, then drags Maria over beside Rob; he pins her left hand next to Rob's right, driving the monouchi equally deep.

"Two down, three to go," Hideyoshi casually remarks as Maria's wailing fades into a quiet whimper.

Danny can no longer hold himself back; he leaps through the flames and charges Hideyoshi, his sansetsukon-turned-hanbo swinging for a powerful blow to Hideyoshi's head; the bat ducks the attack and sprints to recover his naginata; he raises it just in time to block a second charge from Danny.

For the next few minutes, the pair duel, Danny fuelled by vengeful fury, Hideyoshi calmer in the knowledge he holds the advantage. The clash of wood on wood echoes around the dining hall; it ends suddenly, the makeshift hanbo clattering across the floor.

"Any last words?" Hideyoshi barks, holding the blade of the naginata to Danny's neck.

"Yes, but they're not for you," Danny smiles back; snatching the tekko-kagi from his belt, he slices through the shaft of the naginata; the blade clatters across the floor as Danny kicks it away into the flames.

"No matter," Hideyoshi shrugs, discarding the remains of the naginata. "I have no need of any weapon when I have these powers." Spreading his wings, Hideyoshi surrounds himself with writhing fire; Danny is forced back by the sudden wave of heat.

"What are we going to do?" Chika asks Xander; her tone belies her growing fear Danny is merely delaying the inevitable.

"I have no idea," Xander replies, his tone one of resignation.

"Surely there's something?"

"I see only two options: either fight and die slowly, or surrender and die quickly."

"So much for keeping you alive," Chika sighs in resignation.

The couple watches as Danny ducks and weaves, trying desperately to avoid Hideyoshi's assault.

"The fake Crystal!" they suddenly chime together.

"If we get it right," Chika starts.

"We can strike hard and fast," Xander continues.

"When he's at his most vulnerable!" Chika finishes.

"'It's at the moment of victory you're most vulnerable to defeat.'"

"Wise words."

"My father's."

"He taught you well."

"We'll only have one shot," Xander cautions.

"Then we better make it count," Chika nods confidently.

"Together," Xander nods in return.

Danny falls flat on his back; the tekko-kagi skitter across the floor out of reach.

"Your mission is over," Hideyoshi declares, building up the flames, ready to sear Danny into ash; Danny closes his eyes and waits for death.


	4. Chapter 4

Death doesn't come.

A tidal wave crashes over both Hideyoshi and Danny; Danny opens his eyes to see Xander slam into the back of Hideyoshi; he rolls out of the way just in time to avoid being flattened. With a roar of righteous fury, Xander tears the collar off Hideyoshi; the flames surrounding the room disappear in an instant.

"Quick!" Chika commands, grabbing Danny's arm and pulling him to his feet; together, they rush to Rob and Maria. Danny immediately sets about removing the sai; it takes all his strength, but he manages to pull them free; Rob and Maria slump to the floor, semi-conscious.

"Give Rob this!" Danny commands, handing Chika a vial of elixir; he produces a second one to give to Maria.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Rob finds his world returning to focus; he is met by the kind face of Chika Ueno.

"Hey there," Chika greets soothingly. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Rob replies. "But it's fading. How's everyone else?"

"Maria was the only other hurt; she's sleeping off the elixir," Chika explains.

"Hideyoshi?" Rob asks.

"Powerless and defeated; Danny and Xander have immobilised him."

"Good."

"Puppy!" Maria yelps as she wakes suddenly; she then notices both Rob and Chika looking at her in bemusement. "Sorry," she blushes. "I was dreaming."

"Feeling better?" Chika asks her.

"Why, what-" Maria starts; she pauses when the memories flood back. In a panic, she looks at her right arm; she's stunned to find it totally intact. "But it was all icky and burnt when I fell asleep…"

"What matters is you're at full health now," Rob assures.

"Elixir?" Maria asks; Chika nods. "Oh poo."

"Why is that a bad thing?" Chika asks.

"Because giving us both elixir has used up a quarter of our supply," Rob explains. "We came in with just two vials each."

"Why didn't you come in with more?" Chika presses. "Surely you knew what was waiting for you?"

"It's all we could get," Maria explains.

"Shang Tu doesn't just hand out the stuff," Rob adds. "It's very valuable."

"Given what it does, I'm not surprised," Chika comments. "I've never seen such effective regeneration powers before; in fact, I've never seen anything close."

"Only Shang Tu creates it in significant quantity," Rob informs.

"Good to see you two back to normal," Danny smiles, kneeling beside Chika. "You have Chika to thank for that."

"You overstate my role," Chika blushes.

"It seems I have both a thank you and an apology for you," Rob admits to Chika. "You really _are_ on our side."

"Are you two fit to fight?" Danny asks, handing Rob his sai.

"Pretty much," Rob answers, accepting his weapons.

"I lost the pretty swords," Maria pouts.

"Then take these," Danny offers, handing Maria the tekko-kagi.

"I guess they'll have to do," Maria sighs as she takes them. "If only they weren't so _ugly_ …"

"What are we doing about Hideyoshi?" Rob asks.

"Leave him to me," Chika volunteers. "I'll make sure he remembers who he really is."


	5. Chapter 5

The four Scarves leave the two Grand Masters behind and head towards the throne room; Rob and Xander keep their sai and tonfa drawn, Maria holds Kaede's tekko-kagi ready to fight, and Danny has the nunchaku and the sansetsukon-turned-hanbo.

It doesn't take long before they find a way up; unfortunately, it is blocked. And despite Xander's best efforts, the blockage is immovable. Continuing through the Kyuden, the Scarves come across several other passages to the throne room, each one blocked and impassable.

"Well, there's only one option left," Danny concludes.

"Head outside, scale the wall to the balcony, enter the throne room that way?" Xander checks.

"Exactly," Danny confirms.

"You know why we're being diverted outside, right?" Rob asks.

"So we can fight the icky snake man and his big ugly robot?" Maria guesses.

"Why else?" Rob confirms.

"Wait," Maria continues. "We're heading to the rear of the Kyuden, right? Where the meanie is?"

"There's no point rescuing Hanna until both Serpentine and Aquila have been defeated," Danny informs.

"But-" Maria begins to protest.

"He's right," Rob interrupts. "Believe me, I want nothing more than to have her in my arms. But if we rescue her now, we won't be able to protect her _and_ defeat Serpentine and Aquila _and_ recover the Elemental Crystals."

"It's not fair," Maria grumbles.

"You'll see her soon enough, little one," Xander assures.

"And the quicker we break the snake and Captain Icky, the sooner we see the meanie," Maria concludes. "Last one outside is a stinky bug!" she chimes, sprinting down the corridor towards the rear gardens; the boys follow as quickly as they can.

A few minutes later, Maria skids to a halt outside; the late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the gardens. Moments later, the boys arrive alongside her.

"Where is he?" Maria asks, scanning the treeline bordering the gardens.

"If only I had my sniper scope," Rob sighs.

"Well, if Chika's right and Serpentine's got a walker, then Maria and Xander should be able to hear it," Danny informs.

Maria and Xander close their eyes and focus all their attention on their hearing; despite their best efforts, they can't hear anything indicative of machinery.

"Nothing," Maria sighs, opening her eyes again.

"Same here," Xander adds as he opens his.

"I don't like the sound of that," Rob states, a trace of nervousness creeping into his voice.

"Me neither," Danny agrees.

Rob looks up to the balcony. "Well, we have a choice: either we waste time waiting for a snake that may never turn up, or get on with defeating Aquila and rescuing Hanna."

"I know what I'm doing then!" Maria chimes; she dashes to the wall and begins to climb. She gets fifteen feet from the ground; a dozen shuriken embed themselves in the wall right above her head; she falls in surprise; Xander dashes and catches her just in time.

A heavy rumbling emanates from the treeline; seconds later, a robot scorpion bursts through the treeline, scuttling directly to the Scarves.

"So much for the easy way," Rob sighs.


	6. Chapter 6

"TSSSHAHAHAHAHA! We meet again!" Serpentine hisses, his voice booming from the Roboskorp's external speakers. "Prepare for annihilation!"

"Bring it on, snake-man!" the Scarves bellow in unison.

The Roboskorp halts; a hatch opens underneath; a horde of Cacteon, Magmeon, and Turretus spill from the Roboskorp's hold; they head directly for the Scarves.

"Same as last time: spread and flank!" Danny commands.

Danny sprints right, Rob and Maria sprint left; Xander charges the horde directly. Unlike last time however, the advancing horde divides and targets each Scarf directly.

"There's no escape this time!" Serpentine gloats.

As the robots bear down on the Scarves, Rob suddenly switches direction, attempting to divide and thin the horde further. However, it is Maria who is first to engage; her tekko-kagi make light work of the first few Cacteons, but soon the lynx finds herself surrounded by Magmeons; without the reach of a sword, Maria is forced to fight defensively, slowing her down.

Danny is next to engage; taking full advantage of the length of his makeshift hanbo, he disables four Turretus. However, the weapon was weakened during the battle with Hideyoshi; as Danny strikes the fifth Turretus, the joint between jokon and kikon fails; the makeshift hanbo splits clean in two. Danny drops the ruined staff and switches to the nunchaku; while he's able to stand his ground, his unfamiliarity with the weapons hinders his progress.

Rob fares better when he engages; he cuts a swathe of wreckage right through the middle of the horde charging him down. Breaking through the other side, he turns to head directly for the Roboskorp. But Serpentine is wise to the move; he unleashes a barrage of rockets, halting Rob's charge long enough for him to be surrounded and driven back.

As Rob engages, so does Xander; like Rob, he also powers through the middle of the robots charging him, aiming to reach the Roboskorp. But Xander's lower speed leaves him vulnerable to the Turretus; a shell strikes the centre of his back, knocking him to the ground; by the time he has recovered, he is surrounded.

Desperately, the Scarves fight to break the robot horde so they can assault the Roboskorp; slowly, despite regular rocket strikes from Serpentine, they begin to turn the battles to their advantage. After a few minutes, they finally triumph; as the last robot dies in a shower of sparks, the Scarves, panting heavily, turn their attentions to the Roboskorp.

"Is that… all you got?" Rob challenges Serpentine.

"You may have defeated the cannon fodder, but you'll be destroyed by my new, improved Hunter Snakes!" Serpentine retorts.

Hatches either side of the Roboskorp open; from them come four upgraded Hunter Snakes; each snake targets a separate Scarf and begins its attack.

This time Rob, being the closest to the Roboskorp, is the first to engage; rolling out the way of the first charge, he turns just in time to intercept the second, sinking his sai deep into the snake's head. But the snake doesn't slow; it slams Rob into the ground, breaking a few of the hare's ribs in the process; it then pulls up again, taking Rob for a ride. Grimacing, he inches his way around the head of the snake; once on top, he hacks away until the snake sputters and dies; the snake throws him clear as it crash-lands; Rob comes to a rest, his breathing laboured as one of his broken ribs punctures a lung.

Maria is quick enough to lead her snake to the Kyuden's wall; when close enough, she leaps, scrambles up a few extra feet, then jumps off, landing on the back of the snake as it flies under her. Maria then tries to pilot the snake; however, the snake resists, and she is unable to stop or turn in time; the snake slams into the wall; the head explodes on impact. Maria tries in vain to shield herself from the shrapnel; distracted by the pain of hundreds of lacerations, she slips; she comes to rest, pinned against the wall by the wreckage of the snake, her left arm broken by the impact.

Xander and Danny engage simultaneously. Danny dodges the first and second charges; having set himself up, on the snake's third charge, he leaps onto its back; the snake bucks and writhes, but it cannot shake Danny, who attacks the joints between the body segments. In comparison, Xander's more direct; he manages to get a firm hold of his snake's tail, and is pulled along the ground for several yards before bringing the snake to a halt. With an almighty heave, Xander starts to spin with the snake; Danny guides his snake onto a collision course, leaping clear just as the two snakes collide; he lands and rolls several times before returning to his feet.

Danny hastily takes stock of the situation; he can immediately see neither Rob nor Maria are in a fit state to fight. "Looks like it's just us two," he comments to Xander.

"You may have defeated my Hunter Snakes, but you are no match for the Roboskorp!" Serpentine cackles.

The Roboskorp charges.


	7. Chapter 7

Danny and Xander leap out of the path of the charging Roboskorp; as the mechanical beast passes between them, one of the twin pincers clips the end of Xander's tail; the Scarves land in a roll, recovering to counter-charge the infernal machine from the rear. But the Roboskorp is too agile; Serpentine slews the rear round and guns the engine, counter-charging the Scarves' own counter-charge.

" _Tā māde!_ " Danny exclaims. "Xander, break left!" Xander obeys immediately as Danny breaks right; the Roboskorp turns to chase Danny; Xander slides to a halt and turns in pursuit.

Danny risks a look over his shoulder; Serpentine has launched several rockets, and they are all homing in on him. Desperately, the badger begins to weave and dodge; the rockets strike the ground around him, sending clods of earth in all directions; one knocks Danny off-balance; he falls, rolls, and recovers into a run; sensing the Roboskorp is closer now, he turns sharp right, knowing Serpentine cannot turn quite as quickly.

Serpentine slews the rear around again, trying his hardest to stay on Danny's tail; however, the turning slows him enough to fall back and allow Xander to catch up. The wolf leaps onto the side of the machine; he drops off again immediately as the stinger misses him by the slimmest of margins. But as the machine completes the turn and begins to accelerate once more, Xander spots his opportunity; he leaps again, this time holding on around the base of the tail, knowing the stinger cannot strike him.

Electing to ignore Danny for now, Serpentine starts to weave violently to shake Xander off; the wolf holds on however, repositioning himself so he can attack the base of the tail; once in position, he unleashes a series of powerful blows that slowly but surely break through the metal skin; once the metal is broken, Xander tears it open and rips out as much of the circuitry and hydraulics as he can; the mounting eventually fails; the tail breaks away and crashes to the ground.

With a cry of fury, Serpentine flicks a switch in the cockpit; the whole skin of the Roboskorp is electrified. Xander receives a brutal shock; slipping out of position, he falls behind the Roboskorp; the tail's momentum carries it straight into the prone wolf, the stinger impaling his right leg; Xander comes to a rest with the stinger pinning his leg to the ground.

Xander's distraction has allowed Danny to close in on the Roboskorp; he halts his charge when he sees the robot's skin crawling with arcs of electricity. The pause is all the opening Serpentine needs; he closes a pincer around the badger, pinning his arms to his sides and lifting him from the ground in a crushing embrace.

"Victory!" Serpentine cackles over the tannoy.

"Not while there's a breath left in my body!" Danny grunts defiantly.

"Then say goodbye, furball!" Serpentine growls.

The pincer tightens; Danny feels several of his ribs crack as the breath is forced from his lungs.

Suddenly, a flaming comet slams through the carapace, taking out the Roboskorp's power supply; the resultant detonation tears the machine apart. The pincer holding Danny falls slack; Danny slams hard into the ground as a great cloud of dust and shrapnel envelops him; he does his best to shield himself, but cannot avoid sustaining hundreds of lacerations.

Struggling to breathe, Danny tries to pick himself up; the broken ribs grind; Danny collapses in agony. "Xander?" he calls out; the effort triggers an agonising though mercifully brief coughing fit. "Rob? Maria?" he continues, each name more desperate than the last. "Anyone?" he pitifully calls one last time.

There is no answer.

Shaking from the pain, Danny scrabbles on his belt for the vial of elixir; he finds the vial missing. _Probably crushed by the Roboskorp's pincer; guess this is the end of me._

Resigned to death and barely able to breathe, Danny passes out.


	8. Chapter 8

Danny wakes ten minutes later. _I'm still alive? How?_ As his vision comes back into focus, he sees the familiar face of Xander Lykos.

"Good thing I had a spare," the wolf winks, holding up an empty vial.

"How are Rob and Maria?" Danny asks, his voice a little weak. "And yourself?" he adds.

"I got off comparatively lightly, but they were hurt bad," Xander explains. "Luckily there was enough elixir to get us all healed."

"How many vials do we have left?"

"One."

Danny curses violently.

* * *

Another ten minutes pass; the Scarves regroup under the balcony with the Grand Masters of Mizu-dojo and Kasai-dojo, Chika Ueno and Hideyoshi Takenaka.

"It is with great sorrow and regret I look upon my actions earlier," Hideyoshi admits. "I allowed Aquila and the power he promised to control me, to corrupt me; I should not have let that happen."

"I've seen someone fall further than you did," Rob assures, referring to Hanna's descent into madness under the influence of the genuine Fire Crystal. "It took a while, but she came to terms with it, and is a better person because of it; it'll be the same for you."

"I am comforted by your words," Hideyoshi thanks. "But they shouldn't have been required in the first place."

"What's done is done," Rob continues. "What matters is we're all still alive, thanks to you. Out of interest, did the fake Crystal-"

"Turn into powder?" Hideyoshi finishes. "Yes."

"And Serpentine?" Danny asks.

"Vanished," Hideyoshi answers. "Escaped while we were tending to you."

"Facing Aquila is a bad idea," Chika interrupts. "He has all five genuine Elemental Crystals; as talented as you four are, you'll be no match for him. I think it best we try to find your friend and escape while we still can."

"We can't, not yet," Danny informs. "Either we go back with Aquila and the Crystals, or we don't go back at all."

"Then stay in the Gotoshi; you're more than welcome in Mizutani," Chika offers.

"And Kasaiyama," Hideyoshi adds.

"Thanks, but our home is the Origin Kingdoms," Rob replies. "Plus Aquila will just hunt us down and kill us anyway; given how he laid waste to so much of Shang Tu without the Elemental Powers, I'd hate to think of how thoroughly he'll raze Kasaiyama and Mizutani to the ground with them. And not just to destroy us; he'll be after you and the other Grand Masters for your betrayal and failure."

"As much as I am afraid to admit it, you speak the truth," Chika admits.

"With the amount of power at his disposal, the entire Gotoshi is in peril," Hideyoshi concludes.

"Not to mention the Origin Kingdoms," Danny adds.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," Xander begins, "but it seems we're the only people standing in the way of Aquila taking over or destroying Avalice."

"You're not wrong," Rob confirms quietly.

The seriousness of the situation hits home hard; the whole group falls silent as the enormity of it all sinks in.

"While we were waiting to see Mayor Zao, I asked Lilac and Carol why they did what they did," Maria admits after a few moments. "Y'know, saving the world and all that."

"What did they say?" Rob asks.

"'Someone had to'," Maria answers.

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

The group falls silent once more.

"Now it's our turn," Maria declares.


End file.
